Dreams Come True

This story is about the latest graduating class of the FDNY. Josephine Smith graduated last week from the New York City Fire Acedemy. It is not news that woman becomes a firefighter. It is news that she is the first daughter of a fallen 9/11 firefighter to join the FDNY. She is joining some 13 years after her father was taken when the north tower fell. Her father, Kevin Smith(who graduated from this same academy some 3 decades ago) died when he was working on 9/11. She spent 18 weeks of training to join the only 44 women who have joined the FDNY. She has always wanted to become a firefighter. She always wanted to follow in her father’s footsteps. She repeates the same three words every day. “Make Him Proud”. Those who know her say she has what it takes to become one of New York City’s bravest, just like her dad. I am sure her dad would be so proud this day. We honor you today, Firefighter Smith. You are our hero today. Good Luck to you Josephine.

Here is a video (not a news report) of a concert at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Garth Brooks was performing his song , “The Dance”. During the song he sees a woman hold up the sign that says, ”Chemo this morning, Garth tonight. Enjoying the dance”. They bring the woman forward and Garth sees her sign. Most celebrities might acknowledge with a nod or a wave. But not Garth Brooks. He takes the time to walk down, get down on her level sing to her and then give her his guitar. He also speaks of how sometimes he wishes that God would sometimes just stick out his hand down from the sky and spell I exist. Then he said, “I want to tell you right now… God just stuck his hand out. This is one of those times.” Then he told her that his wish for her was to kick cancer. What an awesome gift for this woman who is going through such a difficult time. You are a class act Mr. Brooks. Never too big. Never too famous. He knows who made him this famous. His fans. He respects that and honors them. I may not be the biggest country music fan but I am now a Garth Brooks fan.

WOW. This video really touched me. Here was a mom that lost her hearing over 15 years ago. She has been living with the silence all that time. She tells how difficult it is to be in a group and follow a conversation. She has to read lips to understand people speaking to her. She said that her loss was so bad that even hearing aids were never an option. She has been living with this so long that she has never heard her 8 year old son’s voice. She seemed reluctant to get the implant that would allow her to hear. We can’t really understand what she was going through. She met with a doctor 2 years ago to begin the process of getting a cochlear implant. This video shows her doctor discussing the process and gives us a little insight into her feelings. TISSUE ALERT – at the end of the video her little boy comes up behind her and speaks. That is the first time she hears his voice. It is so touching. How wonderful that the technology is available to help this family. How it touched this little boy that his mom was able to hear his voice. So what was the first thing he told her. I love you. What a moment. Share this one with your family and friends.

Here is an amazing story of a woman named Veronika Scott. She is 24 years old and is the CEO and founder of The Empowerment Plan in Detroit. She grew up as a child of addicts. Growing up unsure of her future sh received a scholarship to go to college. While she was in a class the teacher presented the class with an assignment to design something that will fill actual needs. She did her research at homeless shelters. After many prototypes she created a coat that was a coat during the day but would open up and had a pocket at the bottom that you could slip your feet in and velcro shut like a sleeping bag. This seemed like a solution until one day when a lady came out of the shelter (as she was there getting feedback on the coat) and came out yelling at the “We don’t need coats. Coats are pointless. We need jobs”. she was right. The coat was just a bandaid. She began hiring only people from the homeless shelter and training them to be independent. What an amazing idea. She is empowering them to do anything they want. Way to go Veronika. You are our hero. Thanks to Patricia M for suggesting this story.

TISSUE ALERT!! Thanks to Patricia M for sharing this story with us. This story will break your heart but it also brings joy that a community will come together to bring joy to a little boy. Little Ethan Van Leuven is suffering from acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Ethan is 4 and has been fighting this awful disease for most of his short life. Recently the family was told that there is no hope for treatment for Ethan. Now, to bring joy to their little boy, the family with the help of the community of West Jordan, Utah are bringing the holidays to Ethan this week one at a time. Yesterday was Halloween for Ethan in West Jordan. The costumes came out and candy was everywhere. What an adorable little superman he was. Holidays continue this week with Ethan’s birthday celebration on Thursday (about a month early) and Friday will be a big Christmas eve celebration by the community and Saturday the family will celebrate Ethan’s favorite holidsay Christmas. Even the local radio station will play Christmas music for Ethan. What a wonderful way to help this little boy have some joy during this difficult time. Thank you to the community of West Jordan for all you are doing to make this dream come true. But most of all Ethan, you are our hero today. We hope you enjoy your holidays this week as much as everyone will in bringing them to you. Happy Halloween, Happy Birthday and Merry Christmas to you Ethan from ALittleGoodNews.com.

Many times we hear all the stories of celebrities in trouble. This is not one of those stories. Taylor Swift recently (as I hear she does quite often) visited a Boston Children’s Hospital. This time she visits Jordon (who is undergoing cancer treatments)and is so excited to sing with her and dance with her. You see the joy in his eyes when he recognized the song and sings all the words he knows with her. How wonderful to see the excitement when she stops by to talk about Spiderman (who appearently had stopped by the day before)and PlayDough. I have received a couple other stories from our readers about Taylor Swift. One recently from James H when she visited a leukemia patient and sings an Adele song with him as he plays the piano. She seems to be such a genuine caring individual to take her personal time to bring joy to others. These videos are not taking professionally. They are the family members trying to record such a moment in their lives. It is wonderful that a celebrity like Taylor Swift can stop by a hospital to bring joy to people she doesn’t even know. See what you can do to bring joy to others. Spread the joy.

This message has been making the rounds on social media but it can never be seen too much. This is a message to women everywhere. This is a message that everyone needs to hear. If only more people felt this way about themselves. This is a message that all women need to hear, but you need feel. This is a message that hits us deep down. Don’t just watch it … believe it. Take some time to watch this message. Share this with other women. You are Awesome. You are wonderful. You are special. Yes You!! Don’t let Satan hold you back. Be who God meant you to be. You are God’s special creation and You are Loved!! Thank you to Sara M for sending me this message to share.

Baseball, America’s pastime. The thing that young and old alike enjoy. Nothing more fun than going to the ballpark to watch your favorite team. This is a dream of many young boys. They love to watch the game and imagine they are playing. Sometimes they get close enough to be part of the game. This is a story of a young boy who was in the right place at the right time. His favorite team the Arizona Diamondbacks were playing the Milwakee Brewers. A player tosses a ball up in the stands. Two boys go for it but the Diamondbacks fan Ian McMilian catches the ball and returns to his seat. As he turns to sit down he notices that the other boy (the Brewer’s fan) is upset. Without direction he goes down and gives the ball to the other boy. What an amazing act of generosity. This boy is our hero. He didn’t even hesitate or have to be told to do this for the other boy. He didn’t expect anything in return. With the announcers watching in amazement they arranged for Ian to get an autographed bat. Mom and Dad McMillian you should be very proud of your little boy. You too are our heroes with the way you have raised this young man.

Tissue Alert!! This one will tug at your heart. Thank you to Patricia M for another great story. This one is about a little 4 year old girl who becomes ill and is taken to the hospital on Christmas Eve. The doctor (Dr. Alex Levy) discovered a cancerous brain tumor. What horrible news for her family. The little girl’s father told the doctor that all he wanted to know was if he was going to be able to walk his daughter down the aisle when she gets married. The doctor told the dad that he was going to do everything he could to make that happen. After several surgeries and treatments the little girl is now well and appears to be cancer free. What a wonderful gift this doctor gave to these parents. This little girl is back to school and is a growing healthy little girl. Recently the father called the doctor and asked that when his little girl grows up and is ready to get married, he would like the doctor to come to the wedding and walk the little girl down the aisle. Dr. Levy said that when that happens he will probably retire after that since there could not be a great high and a sense of fulfillment after that. What a wonderful doctor and a loving man to this family. Dr. Levy, you are our hero.

This story is going to blow you away. This is a story about not only a mother’s love but the unbelieveable love and generousity of a family answering her dying wish. 45 year old Trisha Somers has liver cancer. She is a single mom of a happy and healthy 8 year old boy named Westly. They only have each other. But now with Trisha’s diagnosis she knew she had to do something about who would take care of ther son when she is gone. One day when receiving treatment at the hospital a nurse came in to help with her treatment. ”When she entered the room I had this overwhelming feeling of comfort” said Trisha. One night when she came in to say goodnight to her, Trisha Seaman, RN got the surprise of her life. Trisha asked her nurse if she dies would she take in her son. She was taken back but somehow knew it was something she needed to do. “We don’t always know God’s plan”, she tells the reporter. She spoke to her husband and her 4 kids about it. They were in the process of looking into adopting a son. They just didn’t know it would happen this way. But instead of waiting for something to happen to Trisha, the family took Trisha and her son into their home. Now they are all going through this journey together.

WOW, what an amazing family to take in a complete stranger like family. Seaman family, you are our heroes!!! Thanks again, to Patricia M for finding this great story.

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